Good morning, friends. We have an issue heavy on climate finance updates from Egypt and beyond. Let’s jump in.

OUR TOP CLIMATE STORY- Egypt’s Environmental Affairs Agency inked three funding agreements worth c. EUR 22 mn to support industrial pollution control projects for three companies based in the Suez Canal Economic Zone. In other finance news, the French Development Agency approved a EUR 1.5 mn grant to Egypt’s Environment Ministry in a bid to develop the national banking sector’s climate finance strategy.

^^ We have the details on these stories and more in the news well, below.

THE BIG CLIMATE STORY OUTSIDE THE REGION- The World Bank’s executive board will interview US candidate next month: The World Bank Group’s executive board is reportedly planning to interview the US nominee for the development bank’s presidency, Ajay Banga in May, Reuters reports, citing unnamed sources. The bank’s current chief David Malpass informed the board his last day would be Thursday, 1 June. The same board interviewing former Mastercard CEO Banga next month said in March it would consider no other nominees for WB’s top post since Banga was the only candidate elected.

SPEAKING OF THE WORLD BANK- US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen will hold a roundtable discussion today on the sidelines of the World Bank Spring Meetings where she is expected to call for the evolution of the World Bank and other development lenders beyond the World Bank’s recently proposed lending expansion target of EUR 5 bn per annum, Reuters reports, quoting an unnamed US Treasury official. Late last month, the World Bank announced it would increase its lending capacity for climate and other crises-focused projects by USD 50 bn over the next decade while maintaining its AAA credit rating.

As expected: In March, Yellen and Germany’s acting governor to the World Bank Svenja Schulze spoke about overhauling the World Bank’s financing structure ahead of COP28 to incorporate climate finance, pandemic control, and poverty reduction as top priorities. Yellen and German allies said they are keen to see a solid “schedule for reform” of the World Bank as early as April, as the lender faces pressure for failing to address climate change.

Climate-related discussions and workshops happening on day three of the meetings:

• Investing for Impact: Mobilizing Private Capital in Challenging Times (8:30am EDT)
• Climate Finance & Country Climate Partnerships (8:30am EDT)
• Unlocking Financing Opportunities and Development Potential of Key Transport Corridors in Africa (9am EDT)
• Enabling and Delivering Finance for Sustainable Infrastructure Development (11:30am EDT)
• Financing for Water Action in a Changing Climate (11:30am EDT)
• Coming Down to Earth: How to Tackle Soaring Public Debt (12pm EDT)
• Enabling Private Investment through Carbon Markets (2:30pm EDT)
• Tackling Global Risks — Building Capacity to Manage Public Debt (4pm EDT)

You can check out the full schedule for the meetings here.

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WATCH THIS SPACE #1- Egypt’s regulator prepares for carbon market launch: Egypt’s Financial Regulatory Authority (FRA) will form a committee to supervise and regulate the country’s soon-to-be launched voluntary carbon market, according to a statement. The new regulator's mandate will include establishing a rulebook outlining the requirements for issuing carbon credits, mapping out the greenhouse gas disclosure schemes companies would have to follow to verify their carbon output, and setting out the criteria for selecting verified carbon crediting bodies. The committee will be headed by FRA chief Mohamed Farid and include representatives from the country’s Environment Ministry, the Egyptian Stock Exchange (EGX), and the FRA.

WATCH THIS SPACE #2- Oman’s Salalah Smart City is coming together: A consortium led by F&M Middle East will design the master plan for Oman’s Salalah Smart City project, Muscat Daily reports. The smart city’s design will minimize the use of cars, provide efficient public transportation, and facilitate walking and cycling. The port city of Salalah is a prime candidate for hosting green hydrogen and green ammonia production and storage facilities and will be connected to a planned hydrogen pipeline network. It will also serve as the location of Oman’s first e-waste recycling facility.

WATCH THIS SPACE #3- Export restrictions on rare earths critical for EV and renewable energy production increased five-fold between 2009-2020, according to a report (pdf) by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Nearly one-tenth of raw material sales over the last decade faced at least one form of restriction, the research found. Although the World Trade Organization prohibits export restrictions in the form of quantity caps, the world’s top export prohibitors — including Russia, China, Vietnam, and India — have instated export taxes to bypass WTO restrictions and curb critical mineral trade.

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COME TO OUR NEXT ENTERPRISE FORUM-

The Enterprise Exports & FDI Forum, our latest industry-specific conference, is taking place on Monday, 15 May at Four Seasons, Nile Plaza in Cairo. The Enterprise Exports & FDI Forum will give insiders and newcomers alike the chance to talk about how to develop an export-centered business and how their companies can help Egypt build an export-led economy that makes it a magnet for foreign direct investment (FDI).

What’s the Enterprise Exports & FDI Forum? In the wake of successive floats of EGP, exports and FDI have never been more important to Egypt’s economy — or its businesses. We’re gathering some of the CEOs, top execs from local companies and multinationals, investors, bankers, and finance folks to speak on how businesses can adapt their strategies to be export-oriented and what Egypt as a country can do to draw foreign investment and much-needed FX. Expect it to be heavy on lessons learned in Egypt and other global growth markets — and lots of success stories. You can learn more on our conference website here.

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CIRCLE YOUR CALENDAR-

Japan will host The G7 Ministers’ Meeting on Climate, Energy, and Environment on Saturday, 15 April in Sapporo. The two-day event will see cabinet members from G7 member states discuss solutions for the global power crunch triggered by the Russia-Ukraine war, explore pathways to transition the global economy toward 100% clean energy, further negotiations on the UN’s plastic pollution treaty, as well as the Kunming-Montreal Global

Biodiversity Framework, and devise a roadmap for strengthening climate resilience for climate-vulnerable countries.

The UAE is hosting the International Conference on Green Energy and Environmental Technology (ICGEET) on 18 and 19 April in Dubai. The event will bring together stakeholders from academia, the healthcare industry, and the private sector to discuss energy conservation among other topics.

Germany will host the first COP27 transitional committee workshop from Saturday, 29 April to Sunday, 30 April in Bonn. The workshop will address climate-driven loss and damage impacts, will spotlight the findings of a report prepared by the UN on current funding arrangements for climate mitigation efforts, and bring together a host of international financial institutions to discuss pathways to upping funding capacity for climate-induced loss and damage.

Turkey is hosting the International 100% Renewable Energy Conference from 4-6 May in Istanbul. The event will bring together experts to discuss the integration of renewables, renewable energy technologies and applications, and the Roadmap to 2050.

The UAE is hosting the UAE Climate Tech forum on 10 and 11 May in Abu Dhabi. The event will gather over 1k policymakers, CEOs, experts, and investors to discuss collaboration on innovative technologies and economic opportunities in advancing decarbonization across all sectors.

The first MENA Solar Conference is accepting applications from published researchers specialized in PV technology until Sunday, 30 April. The Dubai Electricity and Water Authority will be hosting the conference from 15 to 18 November, in conjunction with the Water, Energy, Technology, and Environment Exhibition and the Dubai Solar Show 2023. Researchers can submit their papers here.

Check out our full calendar on the web for a comprehensive listing of upcoming news events, national holidays and news triggers.